SHOULD YOU ICE OR HEAT AN INJURY?

22/11/2021

This question is simple but actually it is a major concern of many persons when suffering from an injury. If you do it improperly, not only is it inefficient in treatment but also exacerbating injury condition. Let’s classify 02 therapies hot compress – cold compress apparently with AIH!

► Hot compress

Hot compress is effective in chronic lesions with 03 main effects as follows:

Cause local congestion, elevate local blood circulation, thereby making wound healing process faster.
Relax muscles, ligaments and reduce nerve irritation leading to pain relief.
Increase body temperature

There are 2 types of hot compress:

1. Moist hot compress

Deeper body temperature causes contracted muscles becoming relax, increases circulation, increase absorption of nutritions, minerals salts, drugs.

There are many manners of moist hot compress such as soaking the parts which need to compress into warm water, apply hot paraffin pad or any type of medicinal liquor flavored with cinnamon, anise. Towels, gauzes soaked in hot water for the cases of open wound, mild infection.

2. Dry heat compress

The temperature is not deep, primarily to make the patient feel comfortable, effective in pain relief and increasing peripheral blood circulation.

There are many types of dry heat compress such as heater, hot water bottle, hot brick, heat pack contains hot water.

Dry heat compress only indicated for cases as follows:

Persistent and chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Lumbar pain, neck, shoulder, arm pain
Sciatica, intercostal neuralgia
Menstrual cramps

Besides, we also need to pay attention to heat compress as follows:

Heat compress is not longer than 20 minutes and temperature is not overheating because it could cause burn.
Heat compress is not applied on the head, purulent inflammation, fresh congesting injuries, varicose vein, sites of bleeding or threaten to bleed.

► Cold compress therapy

Cold compress is effective in cases of acute inflammation with main effect as follows:

Reduce local congestion;
Reduce pain or swelling, inflammation caused by muscle, ligament injuries.
Hypothermia

There are many methods of cold compress including: bath, clean body by cool water, moist cold compress and ice compress.

Cold compresses is indicated mainly in cases of new inflammation such as:

Sprains, pain immediately after injury, toothache, migraine
Hypothermia as high fever
Infection, abscess
Gastrointestinal bleeding
Insect bite
Pain relief in some cases of peripheral nerve damage, muscle spasm pain, gout attacks.

In addition, we also need to pay attention to cold compress as below:

Cold compress is most effective within 48 hours after injury only if it is done correctly and regularly.
Cold compress on lung area is not recommended

If you have any questions, consult your specialist to better understand about the appropriate and best methods!

At the Orthopedics (AIH), doctors will apply the newest therapies, techniques and protocols following American standards. What is more important, the Orthopedists cooperate with Physiotherapists in order to design separate care plan and rehabilitation exercises for individual patients basing on patient assessment completed by several factors: disease severity, occupation, sporting habits, other patient conditions, the best time to exercise in line with patient schedule.

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For checkup and consultation at AIH:

☎️ Hotline: (028) 3910 9999

🌏 Website: www.aih.com.vn

📍 Address: (Entrance from 199 Nguyen Hoang Street) No.6, Bac Nam 3 Street, An Phu Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City.

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